Against the Dark Knight
by Nocturnal Eclipse
Summary: Final chapter: "Power, Pride and Arrogance". Shinon, Boyd, Gatrie and Haar face off against the Black Knight in an explosive showdown. But all is not what it seems. Warning: Ch. 3 has blood and graphic violence. Read this chapter with caution!
1. An Outrageous Proposal

**Author's Note:** So, I've wanted to write this for a long time now but I never got around to it. I got the inspiration for this story while fighting the Black Knight in Radiant Dawn on Part 3: Chapter 7. It's something I always do, so why not make a story out of it? Side plots are something I'm a huge advocate of when it comes to video games and I write them up on a whim sometimes. I'm a writer first and a gamer second, it seems. And besides, I've always wanted to write a Black Knight story! This will probably be two chapters or so. Three tops. Depends on how things progress.

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><p><em><strong>Against the Dark Knight<strong>_

_**I**_

_**An Outrageous Proposal**_

Shinon awoke in a drunken stupor, his head pounding in his ears with the loudness of a beating drum. His body was slow to respond as he sat up on his cot, holding his head tightly in both hands. A half empty wine bottle lay next to him, some of its contents spilled out onto the blanket draped across his legs. Shinon gripped the neck of the bottle and emptied the rest of the burning liquid down his throat in one long gulp. He sputtered and coughed before tossing the bottle idly to one side. The bottle shattered as it hit the floor of the tent, shards of pointed glass flying everywhere. Shinon winced slightly at the sound.

He swung his legs over the edge of the cot and rose gingerly to his feet. His legs were weak and felt like mush. Stretching out his back carefully, he thought back on the events of the previous evening. How late had he been up last night? He couldn't even remember passing out during the drinking contest he had gotten into with Gatrie. The knight had downed at least two bottles of wine, maybe three. Shinon couldn't remember exactly. He had passed out before finishing his fourth bottle. The fact that Gatrie's body wasn't sprawled across the floor of the tent told him that the knight must have staggered drunkenly back to his own tent after Shinon had blacked out.

He suddenly felt nauseous and a burning sensation rose up in his throat. His stomach roiled noisily and felt as if it had been turned upside down. Shinon barely had time to dash for the tent flaps before violently retching out the contents of his stomach. Groaning and clutching his stomach tightly in both hands, he pulled his head back in and fell back onto the floor, his head spinning furiously. Never again, he told himself. That was the last time he let Gatrie talk him into doing something that stupid.

If he wasn't awake before, he was now. Shinon staggered to his feet, leaning heavily on his cot for support. While he couldn't tell what time it was, Shinon could only assume that it was late enough in the morning for the army to be stirring. Too early for him, in any case. The bustling of soldiers outside of his tent and the shuffling of feet told him as much. Muffled voices and the clanging of weapons could be heard amongst the rabble, relentlessly assailing his tender eardrums. It wouldn't do him any good to suffocate himself in here, he knew. Slinging his quiver of arrows across his back, he snatched his bow from the side of the tent and held it loosely in his left hand. Before making his way toward the tent flaps, be bent over and pried a new bottle of red wine from underneath his cot. He sighed in frustration when he realized that it was his last. He'd meant to save it, but perhaps a few drinks would help assuage his head and quell his stomach.

He stumbled outside and began to make his way across camp, the blazing sun shining into his eyes all the while. Shinon raised the hand that held his bow against its brightness and squinted his eyes. It might as well have been right in front of his eyes. What he wouldn't give for a cloud right about now. Gripping the neck of the wine bottle, he pulled the cork out with his teeth and spat it aside. He let the warm liquid run down his gullet, its refreshing taste stimulating his sore muscles.

"Shinon!"

Shinon came to a slow stop and turned in direction of the voice. He sighed in frustration. He couldn't see anything, half-blinded by the sun, but he knew that shrill voice anywhere. His eyesight slowly adjusted and Titania, deputy commander of the Greil Mercenaries, came striding up to him. Shinon's face turned sour. What in the _hell_ did that woman want with him this early in the morning anyways? Judging by the disapproving look on her face, Shinon could guess that it had something to do with him, as it always did.

"Shinon!" Titania shouted again. She was standing right next to him and her words pierced his head like knives. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Must you really yell at me?" was Shinon's curt reply. "I'm standing right here, woman!"

"That's because it seems that yelling at you is the only way to get your attention anymore, Shinon," Titania replied.

Her hard eyes focused on him. "And do not refer to me as "woman" again, Shinon," she chastised. "You know better. As I've told you before, "deputy commander" is more appropriate."

Shinon scoffed at the statement. "Then what can I do for you, _deputy commander_?" he asked mockingly.

Ignoring his sarcasm, she eyed the wine bottle in his right hand. "I'm talking about that, Shinon. You know that drinking isn't allowed during the daytime. Keep your indulgences for the nighttime hours."

"When last I looked, you didn't hold that kind of authority over me, Titania."

"No, I don't," she replied evenly. "But your commander does. I'm sure that Ike explicitly told you not to drink during the day, especially in front of the other soldiers." She reached for the bottle.

Shinon pulled his hand away and stepped back. "Do you really think I care, Titania? I take orders from that pompous whelp every day and where has that gotten me? I'll do what I please with my own time and nothing Ike says will change my mind. Why should I even give a shit about what he says?"

Shinon turned to go but Titania grabbed him brusquely by the arm and pulled him back. Her eyes flashed with rage. "Watch your mouth, Shinon! I'll brook no disrespect toward the commander. You should be ashamed of yourself. If Commander Greil could hear you now—"

"Well we both know that he's not here anymore, so why even bring it up?" Shinon retorted. Titania's face screwed up in anger and she tightened the grip on his arm.

Shinon smiled squalidly. "Oh, what's wrong, deputy commander? Did I touch a nerve?"

"You go too far, Shinon," she threatened.

Shinon stared her down, forcing back the pains in his head and stomach. "Do I? Perhaps you go too far trying to get me to follow Ike around like a lost puppy, like you and the others so single-mindedly do." Upon getting no response from her, Shinon's smile broadened. "See? You know I'm right. Now, take your hands off of me."

Titania held him fast for a moment longer before releasing him. But she didn't back down as Shinon had expected. "You've got a real attitude problem, Shinon," she said, jabbing her finger into his chest. "If it wasn't for that attitude of yours, you would be an exemplary soldier: a model leader and archer."

"What use is being a role model if it doesn't bring you fame and fortune?" the sniper countered.

Titania shook her head and backed away slowly. "Mark my words, Shinon," she warned, "one of these days your greed and arrogance are going to turn on you. You won't like what you find when that happens." With that, she stormed off angrily, effortlessly resuming her role as deputy commander of the Greil Mercenaries and barking out orders where they were needed.

Shinon didn't give their confrontation another thought and stalked off in the other direction, keeping to the shadows of trees and tents the best he could. He actively ignored cheerful morning greetings from Mia and Brom, barely grunting in response. Why was it that could never walk through camp without someone pestering him, mornings most of all? They weren't the only ones he met along the way, however. The paths between supply carts and tents were choked and infested Gallia's sub-humans and Shinon found it difficult to maneuver around them without venturing too close. His reputation for despising their kind was well-known here, and when Shinon met eyes with a few of them, they glared back at him in hate. Shinon returned their hard stares with abhorrent looks of his own.

"Filthy sub-humans," he muttered in disgust before moving on.

When he reached the center of camp he turned left, heading in the direction of the main supply wagon. Perhaps Muston could scrounge up another flask of wine or two so that he would have something to drink tomorrow evening once they had crossed the river. Goddess knows that he would need a drink after spending an hour, possibly longer, trudging and fighting through the swampy waters of the Ribahn, surrounded by sub-humans and others in the mercenary troop that he hated so much. He made a mental note _not _to bring Gatrie along this time. He drank better in the darkness and solitude of his tent, anyways.

His thoughts unknowingly drifted back to his argument with Titania. _One of these days, Shinon, _she had said, _your greed and arrogance are going to turn on you. You won't like what you find when that happens_. Her words had been cryptic and somewhat thought-provoking, but still they infuriated him. What the hell did she know, anyways? She knew absolutely nothing about his style of fighting or the way he lived his life. The way he did things shouldn't be of any concern to her. She had no right to chastise him for something like that.

Muston's supply wagon rose into view and Shinon quickened his pace. Just a few more minutes and finally he would get some time to himself before the army deployed.

But as fate would have it, Boyd suddenly dashed out from between two of the tents to the left and in front of Shinon, blocking his way to the supply wagon. The warrior turned around wildly in circles, his massive battle axe held loosely in one hand. The oaf was going to hew someone in half if he kept at it. Shinon slunk back away into the shadows to avoid Boyd's wandering eyes. The clumsy and loudmouthed warrior was the last person he wanted to deal with right now.

Too late. Boyd had noticed him and was charging in his direction, pushing aside anyone who got in his way. Whatever he had been looking for, Shinon was sure that he was it. When Boyd had gotten close enough, his face lit up.

"HEY, SHINON!" he bellowed.

Shinon recoiled as the warrior approached him. The pains shot through his head again. "Damn it, Boyd! Why does everyone keep yelling at me? Do us all a favor and keep your voice down!"

"Sorry," Boyd apologized. "I was just afraid that you hadn't seen me."

"Who could miss you, Boyd?"

Boyd chuckled. "Good point."

Shinon glared at him. "Now what do you want?"

The warrior was literally shaking with anticipation. "Some of the others and I are planning something for the next battle. Something great. We were hoping that you would help us!"

Shinon shook his head. "Forget it. Just leave me alone. Go ask Rolf or something."

But Boyd wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Please, Shinon! You have to help us. We can't do it without you."

"I said no."

"Please, Shinon!"

"All right, fine. I won't do it."

"Great! Hey…"

Shinon turned away. "Go away, Boyd. I'm not going to tell you again. I have things to do."

Boyd pulled him back. "Oh, c'mon, Shinon! It's really important! Gatrie and Haar are already waiting for me. It won't take long!"

"Is it really that important?"

Boyd nodded. "Yeah, it is."

Shinon sighed. Boyd sure was persistent. "Fine, I'll go then. And then you'll leave me alone?"

"Promise!" Boyd let go of him and whirled around, carelessly hoisting the axe over his shoulder. Shinon had to duck as not to get clipped by the enormous blade. "Now let's go!"

Boyd took off at a full sprint, clumsily sidestepping around those who blocked his path. Shinon sauntered after the warrior, keeping his own pace and letting the brute keep his own. He stared longingly back at the supply tent. The wine would have to wait, it seemed. Boyd led him out to the edges of camp, occasionally looking back over his shoulder to see if Shinon was still there. Eventually they arrived at a small ring of tents, a small fire built in the center. As promised, Gatrie and Haar were already there. Like always, Haar was stretched out across the ground with his head propped up on a rock, dozing. Gatrie barely noticed Shinon and Boyd as the two of them approached, his eyes darting around the clearing and spying out any woman that passed by, despite the fact that most of them were sub-humans.

Boyd plopped down next to Haar and Shinon seated himself next to Gatrie, taking a swig of his wine. Whatever Boyd had planned, it might help if he had a little alcohol in his system.

Gatrie gave him a disapproving look. "Really, Shinon? Drinking in the middle of the day?" He grabbed the wine bottle and wrenched it from the sniper's hands. The liquid spilled over his tunic front. "Surely you can wait until this evening!"

Shinon swiped the bottle back. "You're the second person to tell me that. And like I told Titania, I'll do whatever I want. Besides, whatever Boyd has to say might sound a little less absurd while I'm drinking."

Gatrie smiled. "I don't think that it will matter much, Shinon."

"Why's that?"

"Because—" Boyd interjected quickly, but he stopped when he realized that Haar was still asleep. "Haar! Wake up!"

"Huh? What?" Haar jolted upright and rubbed his good eye before spotting Shinon. "Oh, right. Have you told him yet, Boyd?"

"No, I was just about to," Boyd replied. He turned his attention back to Shinon. "Did you hear, Shinon? When we cross the river tomorrow, the Black Knight's going to be there."

Shinon pretended to act disinterested but the news actually piqued his interest. "Yeah, I heard," he said, taking another drink of wine. "What about it? I suppose that you want to tell me that Ike ordered you to stay back and let him handle things?"

"Well, um…" Boyd trailed off. He glanced uncertainly at Haar and Gatrie. Both of them nodded. Shinon could tell by the look in Boyd's eyes that whatever he had to say wasn't going to sit well with Shinon.

Shinon was already growing impatient. "Well, what is it, Boyd?"

"Ike won't be the one fighting the Black Knight," the warrior replied. He let took a deep breath. "We are."

Shinon stared, not quite believing what he was hearing. Surely he had heard Boyd wrong. For a moment, no one said anything. Gatrie and Haar didn't seem surprised at Boyd's proposal. In fact, it appeared that they had expected it. Boyd stared back at him expectantly, waiting for a response from the sniper. Instead, Shinon started to laugh, leaning his head back and only chuckling at first before laughing uproariously. His laughter echoed through camp and many of the soldiers passing by gave him strange looks. Shinon ignored them all, unable to come to grips with Boyd's absurd proposal.

"Boyd, you're such an idiot!" Shinon finally said, still unable to control his laughter. He put a hand to his aching sides. It hurt to laugh but he couldn't help himself. "Ha…honestly…I expected to hear something stupid from you but nothing…of this level! You can't be serious! The Black Knight? Ha!"

Boyd looked angry. He obviously hadn't expected Shinon to find his suggestion very humorous. "Don't mock me, Shinon! This is serious!"

"He's right, Shinon," Gatrie said, taking Boyd's side. "If you just listen to what he has to say, you might agree with him. If we hope to cross the river tomorrow, the Black Knight must be brought down."

Shinon jumped to his feet and looked at the knight like he had lost his mind. "Don't tell me that you're in on this too, Gatrie! And you as well, Haar?" The other two nodded in return, their expressions serious.

For once, Shinon was at a total loss for words. The wine bottle lay forgotten at his side. "You can't really be serious…" He trailed off, not sure what to say next.

"We have a chance, Shinon," Boyd said confidently, clenching his fist for emphasis. "We can beat him together."

"Do you really practice being this stupid, Boyd?" Shinon demanded. His laughter had faded away entirely and was replaced by anger and disbelief. "This is absurd! We're nothing more than a band of mercenaries! The Black Knight is probably the greatest swordsmen to walk the face of the earth. No one man, let alone an entire army, can kill him. I'm not going to die out here. Not in this place. I don't want to die for no reason at all! And that's exactly what will happen if we go up against the Black Knight. Tell me, Boyd, what chance do we have?"

To his surprise, it was Haar that answered. "A better chance than you think, Shinon," the wyvern rider said. "Sit down a minute and listen."

Shinon locked gazes with the wyvern rider, suspicion mirrored in his eyes. Then slowly his anger and frustration cooled and he sat back down next to Gatrie, more than slightly embarrassed at his emotional outburst. Shinon wasn't one to let his emotions get the better of him, but Boyd's proposal had caught him completely off guard.

Haar leaned forward, his sharp eye glittering. "It's true that we might not be anything more than a destitute band of mercenaries, living solely by our weapons in order to receive our pay, that we have nothing significant to threaten the Black Knight with. It is likely that the Black Knight sees us the same way. But that is an illusion we can use against him! You're right, Shinon. The Black Knight is the greatest swordsman alive. Only Ike has ever bested him in combat and that still wasn't enough to bring him down for good. What can we, four ordinary men, possibly do to bring him down? The Black Knight is without peer. He sees us as nothing. I was around him a few times during the Mad King's war and he was about as arrogant as they came. He believes himself invincible. But if we can combine our collective strengths and use that against him—"

"We'll topple him where he stands!" Boyd finished, slamming his left fist into his right palm. "He won't even know what hit him!"

"We'll have the element of surprise," Gatrie added for emphasis.

Shinon couldn't believe his ears. Here he was, still half-drunk from last night, surrounded by a bunch of lunatics talking about pulling off a job that not even General Skrimir himself would attempt, let alone that insufferable General Zelgius that they were fleeing from. The three of them had an obvious death wish, as if their dying was going to happen whether they took out the Black Knight or not.

"This is our one chance, Shinon," Haar said. "Defeating the Black Knight gives us an assured chance of crossing the river. If we can't at least force him to retreat, every single one of us will be killed. You said so yourself, Shinon. You don't want to die in this place."

"I still hate this entire idea," Shinon replied. "You're all making it sound so simple! Thing is, we can't kill the Black Knight even if we get close enough to hurt him with our weapons."

Boyd's body stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Shinon's anger returned. "I mean that even if you lie in wait for him, catch him by surprise, you still can't kill him fast enough! He's encased from head to toe in black armor with essentially no weak points at all! Oh, you could take a strike at his neck or go for a weak spot under his arm, maybe even hit him hard enough and force him to fall back slightly. But that won't do any good! Before you've even taken two strikes, the Black Knight will have you. He'll cut you down like wheat in a field. And then you'll all have died for nothing."

The sniper's voice hardened. "Besides, you're still overlooking the most obvious thing of all. Don't tell me that you've forgotten the Black Knight's armor is completely impervious to damage. Only Ike with that sword of his could even scratch it. Do you have something like that to attack him with, Boyd? I sure as hell don't. Even if by some miracle we can ambush the bastard and land a blow or two, we can't even put a chink in his armor. What can you possibly do about that?"

Boyd looked as if he had been expecting the question and answered quickly. "That's not true, Shinon," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "I don't think that the Black Knight's armor is still blessed."

"What makes you so sure?" Gatrie asked.

Boyd shrugged. "I'm not saying I'm sure at all. But I asked Ilyana about it earlier and she told me that when she fought next to the Black Knight at Daein Keep, she noticed something strange about his armor. It was cracked and split in almost a dozen places. She said that the magical "aura" she had felt around the armor in the Mad King's War wasn't present. This gave her reason to suspect that the armor's blessing is gone. It could have been a result of the Knight's battle with Ike or Nados Castle crashing down on him or something. But we won't know for sure unless we try."

Shinon was obviously skeptical. "This is ridiculous! Boyd, are you really stupid enough to take the word of Ilyana, a girl who can't even see straight half of the time because she's so hungry, over your own common sense?"

"You know I would—" Gatrie started to say.

"Shut up, Gatrie," Shinon cut him off. "We all know what you would do."

Haar had heard enough. "Enough of this, Shinon." His face was hard as Shinon turned to face him. "You act as if there's some kind of divine intervention or unstoppable magical power that's needed in order for us to pull this off. There is nothing difficult about what we are being asked to do. The Black Knight will be there when we cross the river; he must be forced to retreat. We don't have to slay him. If we can, all the better. But the keys here are cunning and cleverness. If we can't at least distract him, draw his attention away from the main force, all hope is lost. Once we take him out, we can easily run down the remaining soldiers and push through. All that's being asked of you is that you take the first shot. If it turns out the Black Knight's armor is still blessed, that's all there is then. We'll pull back and devise a new plan for getting across the river."

Shinon turned his anger toward the wyvern rider. Twice now he had been scolded. Haar was doing exactly what Titania had done to him earlier. They both thought they knew him better than he knew himself. Where did Haar, Titania or anybody else have the right to chide him like this? His anger boiled up and it was all he could do to prevent himself from drawing an arrow from his quiver and ruining Haar's eyesight for good.

"We have to try, Shinon," Boyd said quietly, breaking the tense silence.

"This is insane, Boyd," Shinon said, shaking his head. "There's no way we can pull this off."

Then suddenly Gatrie found their ace in the hole. "But Shinon," he said softly, his eyes focused intently on the sniper. He almost sounded desperate. "The Black Knight murdered Commander Greil. Don't pretend like that doesn't bother you anymore. I know that's why you drink so much, buddy."

Shinon said nothing.

Gatrie pressed forward. "Wouldn't you like to get at least one shot against the Black Knight? In the name of Commander Greil?"

Shinon cursed his horrible luck. Fantastic. He had effectively backed himself into a corner. Gatrie knew him too well and Haar and Boyd were too stubborn to let this whole thing go. The three of them had essentially decided that they would die tomorrow whether or not they fought the Black Knight. A shimmer of hope remained if they didn't, however. They would need all the luck in the world if they were to come out alive tomorrow. Needless to say Shinon didn't care. Death was death, pure and simple.

Shinon sighed. If this was the way things were going to be, so be it. Better to die sooner than later, he supposed.

He turned to Boyd. "Just the four of us, then?"

Boyd nodded vigorously, realizing what this meant. "Yes."

"Nothing but ordinary weapons against a monster?"

"Yes."

"More people and weapons will only complicate things," Haar added. "Even Ike must remain in the dark on this."

"He never would have agreed to it anyways," Gatrie said. Haar and Boyd nodded in agreement.

"I only ask one other thing," Boyd said as the other three eyed him curiously. "Don't tell Oscar about this. He would freak out if he knew what we were up to!"

"All right then," Shinon said, finally conceding. "Fine, I'm in. But you'd better have a damn good plan, Boyd. One mistake and we'll be food for the crows."

Boyd smiled triumphantly. "You might be surprised, Shinon. Gatrie and I have something really great planned!"

He gave things over to Haar, who began mapping out the terrain in the dirt and explaining the possible strategies they could use. Shinon listened intently, looking for any flaws, but still one thought was in the forefront of his mind.

_What have I gotten myself into now?_


	2. Fateful Day

_**Against the Dark Knight**_

_**II**_

_**Fateful Day**_

Darkness covered the western horizon. It was a cold, chilling gloom that lingered on despite night's departure and the coming light of dawn in the east. The sky was a soft shade of blue throughout but still the darkness in the west remained. It wasn't going to sacrifice its hold quite so easily. But as the crescent moon dipped away to the west, the sky brightened and rays of bright light streaked across the eastern horizon and the blackness in the west was banished for good. A few moments later the sun poked its fragile head like a timid child peering out to see if it was safe to come out of hiding. It rose higher and the light spilled across the land, chasing away any shadows that still remained and glinted off the calm waters of the Ribahn River. It was such a beautiful sight, the horizon awash with color and light, which would make even the most miserable man in the world weep joyful tears at the wonder of nature's beauty. Such grandeur would put anyone's mind at peace almost instantly.

But then again, the Black Knight was rarely at peace.

He stood upon a hilltop on the northwestern side of the Ribahn, solitary and silent, unmoving, fully armored and familiar hilt of Alondite gripped tightly in his right hand. Only his head was left exposed, the black, T-slit helm placed in the grass to his right. His black and crimson cape wafting gently in the morning breeze, he stood overlooking the Ribahn and the lands beyond. His gaze was fixed intently on the latter. Lands he knew so well; lands he longed to return to once this ordeal was over. The cold and mountains of Daein did not please him so. He was glad to be rid of them and stand upon Begnion soil once more. He brushed aside his sentimentalities for such things the moment they surfaced and instead turned his eyes back to the still-resting Daein army.

His eyes were filled with scorn and disappointment. These men in the army were nothing. They possessed a mere fraction of the power that the Daein army three years ago boasted. While some of them were veterans from the war, their skills were weak and unpolished, their techniques and form rudimentary. Not like his. His form was perfect, his skills and techniques flawless, both in the manner of offense and defense. Swordplay was an art he had perfected over the years and with each blow he landed, with every strike, he executed with the elegance and surety of a master painter's brush stroke upon a blank canvas. There was no strategy he couldn't exploit a weakness in. There was no defense that he couldn't shatter. These lesser men on the bank of the river were lucky to have him. With him at their side, they would turn aside any onslaught that came their way.

Yet for all his certainty, there was still something that bothered the Black Knight. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something odd about this entire situation. The Laguz Alliance would attack them at the river before midday and attempt a crossing before being sandwiched in by the Begnion Central Army. The attack would be direct and forceful, its purpose fully laid out and exposed. But this troubled him. It was something far less clever to be expected from those under the advice of Gawain's son. Wouldn't they have prepared some kind of diversion to get across, like they had done in the past? Was this attack the diversion? Would the diversion occur elsewhere? He could find no answers and shelved the thought away for later so he could retrieve it if the need arose.

But there was something more. It was something elsewhere, something…elusive. The Black Knight couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he could feel something strange. His own intuition told him that much. There was a sense of familiarity in it. It called for him, overwhelming him with the burning desire to kill everything in his path. Something would cross that path later today and move against him. Or worse, move against the Maiden of Dawn herself.

Regardless, something was coming for him.

The minutes ticked slowly by and the sun continued to rise higher. The army began to stir at the base of the hill and it would soon be abuzz with activity.

Whether it was his or someone else's, fate would be decided at the river today. The Black Knight was sure of that.

_Let it come, _the Black Knight vowed silently to himself. He bent over and retrieved his helm from the grass and placed it back on his head, wrapping himself in obscurity once more. _By choosing to face me, you merely rush to your death._

Whatever it was, he would face it and destroy it.

-X-

On the other side of the river, Shinon felt oddly at peace.

He had slept surprisingly well last night and had been awake since dawn, up earlier than some of the other early risers such as Soren and Mia. He had been walking through camp for hours, wandering alone and lost in his thoughts. There was no sign of Boyd, Gatrie or Haar, but he figured the three of them were getting in as much sleep as they could. But for whatever reason, Shinon couldn't force himself to go back to sleep, despite how desperately he wanted to. He was too anxious; an unusual feeling for him. He wasn't thinking about drinking. He wasn't thinking about this damn war he was fighting in.

He was thinking about the Black Knight.

Shinon cursed his name. How he hated that man. The Black Knight, the man who had stolen so much from him, was the only person Shinon hated as much as Ike or the sub-humans he was forced to fight alongside. He had taken the life of the one person that Shinon could ever have called a father; driven him on a path of self-destruction during the Mad King's War, left only with his drinking and a complete sense of betrayal when Ike was chosen to lead the mercenary company. The Black Knight had stolen everything from him.

But now, Shinon thought with a smile, he would have his revenge. How he longed to strip away the Knight's helm, reveal his naked face and look into his eyes before he got to die. Only then would the Black Knight understand just how much he had cost Shinon in the end.

His thoughts turned to the attack he and the others would undertake later this morning. Their plan was simple, but often times the simplest plans proved to be the most effective. They would hit the Knight fast and hard, catch him off balance and drive him back before he would even know what was happening. Gatrie and Boyd would lead the attack, with Haar following in later, but only after Shinon had taken the most crucial step of all. This was where things got really dangerous. The sniper would get close enough to the Black Knight to where he was within firing range, all the while knowing that the slightest misstep would reveal his position and leave him completely at the mercy of the Black Knight. He would have to take the first shot to ensure that their attacks would have some kind of effect. Meanwhile, the others, namely Boyd and Gatrie, would wait somewhere far enough away so that if things took a dire turn, they could still flee. Conversely, if things fell through the way they were supposed to, they would still be close enough to attack. As it was, Shinon would be the one taking all of the risks while the rest of them rested at a safe distance.

The plan, of course, had been Boyd and Gatrie's.

He ran over the entire plan in his mind once again, having already committed the entire strategy to memory the previous night. Gatrie had insisted that Shinon refrain from drinking at all until he was convinced that the sniper had the plan thoroughly memorized, right down to how away far Shinon would need to be before taking the first shot. The plan itself didn't have any flaws from what Shinon could tell, which was fortunate because Boyd had been the one concocting things from the start. Something might have fallen through if he hadn't recruited Haar and Shinon. The warrior was at least smart enough to realize that his plan wasn't perfect to begin with. The strategy they would use was solid. And with any luck, Haar's black armor of the Daein army would fool the Black Knight long enough into thinking that the threat against him was less severe than it seemed. But more than anything, the thing they depended on the most was the weapons they would choose to use.

Personally, Shinon didn't see the difference it would make what weapon he used, since arrows only got so far against armor. Axes and lances were far more effective. The strength of the arrow tips notwithstanding, if the wielder of the bow lacked skill, he might as well be as well be trying to bring down the walls of Sienne with an iron bow. But as it was, Shinon lacked nothing in the way of skill and precision, so whether he used steel or silver tipped arrows made no difference to him. However, Boyd had insisted that he use the strongest weapon possible to give them a better edge. So Shinon had chosen a bow of his own craft, the very same one he had sold to Aimee only days ago before Soren had bought it back at half the selling price. A masterpiece of craftsmanship, the Silencer was the strongest bow in existence. Shinon didn't think there was anything stronger. Hell, he_ knew_ that there wasn't anything stronger. He had made the bow and its arrows entirely by himself. Nothing, not even anything Daniel could make, could compare to the Silencer's strength, durability and flexibility. It would do just fine.

With nothing left to do until the army deployed and his legs numb, Shinon found himself an old oak near the main supply wagon and propped his head up against it. He could surely use a moment's rest.

"Don't you have something you should be doing, Shinon?" Shinon looked up. Haar and his wyvern landed next to him and there was a disapproving look on the wyvern rider's face. "Something of better use of your time? I figured that you would be elsewhere, brushing up on your skills or looking over the plan again, considering what we're about today."

Haar was scolding _him _for sleeping? Now _that _was odd.

Shinon shrugged. "Dunno, should I? Gatrie managed to drill that whole plan into my head last night before he even let me drink anything. I don't really need to go over it again. I figured you might be sleeping as well, since you know the plan better than the rest of us. And you're more laid back than the rest of us, so I figured you would understand that more than anyone."

"Normally I would be," Haar answered and dismounted. "But with a battle like this, even I find it difficult to find some sleep."

"Whatever. Still, you're far more relaxed than Boyd and Gatrie were last night. Those two wouldn't shut the hell up last night."

Haar actually laughed. "Well, it was their plan, so what do you expect?" He approached the supply wagon and grabbed a small crate of supplies. He also withdrew an enormous lance and carried both back to his wyvern and placed them on the ground. He began loading the supplies onto his wyvern. "I'm just afraid word of our plan might have leaked out to someone else. Boyd and Gatrie aren't the ones known to keep their mouths shut."

Truer words had never been spoken. "Yeah, I guess. By the way, Haar," Shinon said, getting to his feet, "how in the blazes did those two convince you join their mad little escapade and actually get you into thinking we had a fighting chance? It seems to me that you would just stay behind the lines and sleep rather than fight. I didn't think going on a hair-brained mission like this would even cross your mind."

"I have my reasons, Shinon," Haar replied without turning around. "Just as you have yours. We all have to something to be gained by doing this."

Shinon frowned. "Don't play dumb with me, Haar. We all know you better than that. You'd have to already have some kind of grievance against the Black Knight to agree to something like this. Like I said, you'd just be more content to sleep and wait for things to play out. Besides, you're from Daein. Why would you fight your own countrymen, let alone to something as ridiculous as this?"

"It doesn't concern you, Shinon," Haar repeated sternly.

"Why so serious all of a sudden?" Shinon raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize it was that personal."

Haar said nothing and continued to load his supplies onto the back of his wyvern, keeping his back turned away from the sniper. Something about the conversation must have struck a nerve, because he said nothing further on the matter. It seemed that Shinon had a knack for such things, whether he intended to do so or not.

He shrugged in indifference. "Fine then. Keep your secrets. I guess I'll see you on the battlefield later." He sauntered off, quite content to leave things were they stood. Shinon didn't really care, as a matter of fact. He had simply asked Haar about it out of boredom and to help calm his unusually nervous mind.

What he didn't realize, however, was that Haar's grievances against the Black Knight were far more personal and complex than he let on.

-X-

While Haar and Shinon were more composed, Boyd was more excited than he had ever been.

No, excited was far too passive of a word used to describe his elation. The warrior was ecstatic. He literally could not keep himself from sprinting through camp no matter where he went, whether it was across the way between rows of tents or clear across camp. He had barely slept a wink last night, for he had been too busy boasting and bragging about his coming deeds in the next battle and how he would prove himself to be superior to anyone else in the entire army. Now, Boyd was just burning off his adrenaline rush and finding some way to pass the time until he found Haar. Once he found the wyvern rider, it would be time to leave for the river.

He was moving so fast and completely heedless to where he was going that he collided head on with Mia as he rounded the corner of Muston's supply wagon. The two went down in a heap, tumbling to the ground in a flurry of arms and limbs. It was a wonder that their weapons didn't injure them at all. Boyd landed right on top of her and their foreheads smacked together, a wave of pain shooting through his head. But Boyd was back on his feet almost instantly and helped pull Mia to her feet.

"Sorry, Mia!" he shouted. "Didn't see you there!" He bent over and retrieved his axe and Mia's sword, offering the weapon to her.

Mia smiled and took the weapon, brushing herself off. "Psh! It's fine! But what are you so excited about anyways, Boyd?" she asked curiously. "I didn't realize you got yourself as psyched for battle as I did!"

Boyd's face beamed with pride. "You just wait and see, Mia! Be sure you're keeping an eye out for me when we cross the river later!"

"I'll be there, of course!" the swordswoman replied. "I wouldn't want to miss out on a battle like this! But why should I be watching you? Are you going to do something amazing?"

"You bet I am!" Boyd exclaimed. "Because you're going to witness my fighting prowess at its very highest! You'll have to be close by to get the full effect!"

"Sounds great!"

"Yep! And I'm not the only who's going to be in on it, either!" Boyd spotted Gatrie and waved him over. "We're both going to show just who's boss around here, right, Gatrie?"

The knight lumbered over to them, fully clad in azure armor, silver lance held loosely in his right hand and his gold-trimmed shield in his left. "You bet we will, Boyd! Nothing will be able to stand in our way after today!" Gatrie flashed Mia one of his dazzling smiles and winked. "Maybe I'll even impress someone enough that she'll allow me to buy her dinner tonight!"

Mia laughed. "Ha ha! Well, we'll just have to see about that! But whatever you guys are up to, you can totally count me in if you need any help! Any opponent you two are teaming up against is a worthy adversary of mine!"

"Oh, will do!" Gatrie exclaimed. He turned to go. "I'd best go find Shinon to make sure he doesn't try and skip out on us! See you later, Boyd!" He was gone in a flash, moving surprisingly fast for all of his bulk. Boyd watched him go, knowing that with Gatrie's impenetrable frame on their side, there was no way that they could lose.

"Now, I'm serious, Boyd," Mia said and Boyd looked her in the eyes. "I don't know what you're up to, but if you need any help you can always call me over! I'll gladly cut down anyone who gets in your way!" She sheathed her sword and smiled at him before dashing off.

Boyd considered the idea for a moment. Would things be easier if they had Mia with them? Other than Ike, she was probably one of the best sword fighters he had ever seen. But Haar had deliberately told him that more people would only complicate things. Besides, Mia hadn't figured into his plan in the first place. With so many weapons flying around, one of them could get hurt needlessly.

But if things took a turn for the worse, Boyd decided, he wouldn't hesitate to call her over. He turned and spotted Haar across the clearing on the other side of the supply wagon and bounded up to him, waving to get his attention.

Haar frowned when he got close. "I thought we were clear on _not _telling anyone else about what we were up to, Boyd," he stated offhandedly.

Boyd was confused. "Huh?"

"You and Gatrie essentially just told Mia what we going to do."

"Wait, you could hear us?"

Haar nodded. "You were only twenty feet away and you were shouting."

"Right, yeah." Boyd grinned sheepishly. "Anyways…" He grabbed the safety harness on the saddle and vaulted up onto the wyvern. "Are we all set, Haar?"

The wyvern rider yawned and jumped up onto the saddle in front of Boyd. It looked like he was going to let Boyd's slip-up fly, since there was nothing to be done about it now. "As ready as we'll ever be, Boyd. I'm still having difficulty understanding how I let you drag me into this."

"I was more surprised when Shinon decided to help us."

Haar shrugged. "I wouldn't hold that one to his word, though. If worst comes to worst, it may just be the three of us out there."

Boyd grinned. "It won't matter. We'll win!"

"For your sake, I hope you're right," Haar said. "But remember, if it turns out that you were wrong about the Black Knight's armor, we're pulling out. I don't have much interest in getting myself killed in a battle I had no chance to win from the beginning, not matter what weapon I had."

"You mean a battle that _we'll _win."

"Right, whatever."

"Speaking of weapons, which one are you using?"

"This one," Haar said, reaching for an enormous lance lying on the ground next to him. "Silver greatlance. Most powerful one of its kind, too. It should work just fine."

"You're not using an axe?" Boyd asked questionably.

Haar shrugged. "I'm just as proficient with a lance. I feel I'll have a better chance at piercing the Knight's defenses this way." He paused. "But...I'm guessing that won't matter to you at all?"

Boyd hefted his axe and rested it on his shoulder. "Nope. You know that I can't use anything other than axes! I'm using this one that Daniel made me." It looked to be nothing more than a common steel axe, save the fact that its huge blade was a dark red color. "He worked through the night on it and got it to me early this morning. A little too early, though. Woke me up before dawn."

Haar smiled. "Never can get enough sleep around here, can you?"

"Nope. Anyways, he didn't have enough stuff to make a silver axe, but he forged some steel with the silver to make it stronger. It'll be enough to cut through the Black Knight's armor!"

Haar shook his head. "Boyd, even with only one eye I can tell that axe won't get you far. It's still mostly made out of steel and iron. What damage will that thing do?"

Boyd took the comment the wrong way. "Do you doubt my strength?"

"Well no, but—"

"He's right, Boyd."

The two of them turned as Oscar rode up next to them. "Just because your weapon is unique, it still won't cut through the strongest armor," the paladin said. "Even if you're strong enough to use it, it won't help you in the long run."

"Whaddya mean, Oscar?"

"You need something stronger," Haar said with an obvious tone of annoyance in his voice.

"Exactly," Oscar said. He reached for the larger-than-normal saddle bag behind him and produced an axe. But it wasn't a typical sharped-edge axe. With a long handle, it had a head that was flat and fat on one side and a curved spike on the other.

He reached over and handed the axe to Boyd. "Here, take this one. You'll need it."

Boyd took it and admired it, sliding the handle of his other axe into the small sheath on his back. "This is…"

Oscar nodded. "Yes. It's a Hammer. It's specifically designed to combat armored foes. You've used one before but never against enemies like the Black Knight." He paused. "I…just thought that if you had it, you might stand a better chance…"

Boyd looked at the axe and then back at his brother. "Oscar…" He paused briefly and suddenly realized something. "But how did you find out what we were up to? This was just supposed to remain between me, Haar, Gatrie and Shinon!"

"I told him," Haar cut in. Boyd looked at him curiously. "I knew that it would have been best to not tell anyone else about what we were up to, but I thought keeping a secret from Oscar wasn't very smart, especially since this involves you, Boyd. If you suddenly turned up dead after the battle, how was I going to explain things to him?"

The warrior nodded in agreement. "I guess that does make sense…but you just yelled at me for letting things slip to Mia! How can you do that after telling Oscar about this?"

"I just told you why," Haar answered. "This is for your own good, Boyd. And Oscar's as well."

"Besides, your constant gloating about this "brilliant plan" and your enthusiasm about the next battle weren't the best screen to use," Oscar added with a tinge of humor in his voice. "I would have caught on to things eventually."

"Right…but you won't be going with us? I thought that you might like to watch!"

Oscar shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. I'll be with the main force where there's more solid footing." He patted his horse on the back. "This guy here doesn't do well in the water. Besides, watching you try something this crazy isn't something I think I could force myself to stomach. So, as it is, I'll be waiting on the other side for your safe return." His gaze turned toward Haar. "All of you."

The wyvern rider understood. "Don't worry, I'll look after him. And Gatrie as well." He smiled faintly. "And Shinon if I have to."

The paladin nodded. "Thank you, Haar."

Boyd hoisted the axe over his shoulder. "You shouldn't worry so much, Oscar. We'll be fine!"

But Oscar shook his head again. "Boyd, please listen to me," his brother said, solemn once more. Oscar dismounted and Boyd jumped down off of Haar's wyvern as well. They stared at each other for a few moments, waiting for the other to say something. Boyd knew what his brother was thinking and no words would have been needed.

Oscar spoke anyways. "I give you this axe in return for a promise, Boyd." He placed his hand on Boyd's shoulder. He had such a sad look in his eyes. "You must promise me to come back alive. This entire thing is crazy, but I suppose I should expect as much from you. I know I can't talk you out of doing this but I can at least ensure that you have a better chance at coming back. If you don't, I don't know if I can…" He trailed off and looked away.

Boyd thought he saw tears in his brother's eyes. The sight actually made his heart ache. Boyd wasn't the one to feel sentimental very often, even in situations like these, but Oscar's words hit close to home. It reminded him that it was always Oscar who had looked after him and Rolf. If he lost, he would fail Oscar worse than he could ever fail himself.

"Promise me, Boyd. If you find yourself in a situation that threatens your life, you must flee! Don't leave Rolf and me alone."

Boyd smiled and pulled him into a tight embrace, patting him on the back. "I promise, brother."

Oscar pulled away and remounted his horse. He looked back down at Boyd one last time before riding off without another word.

Boyd watched him go until he was out of sight. "He didn't have to do that," he said softly.

"He's only looking out for you, Boyd," Haar remarked. "You're his brother and he loves you. Don't let him down by dying."

Boyd closed his eyes and gripped the axe tighter. "I won't."

-X-

The army set out within the next hour, splitting into two factions as it approached the river, the main force heading northeast in attempt a crossing at a different point while the diversionary team went to meet the Daein army on the river's northern banks. Shinon and Gatrie marched silently along with the diversion force, their minds focused solely on the enemy that they would meet when they crossed. They cared nothing for the rest of the war. Only their fated encounter with the Black Knight mattered. When at last the southern banks of the river came into view and the Daein army materialized on the opposite side, did they know that this was for real. The small force of mercenaries spread out along the shores of the Ribahn and prepared to launch their attack.

Shinon wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sight. Already he hated this place. _This_ filthy mudhole was where they would be attacking the Black Knight? It had sounded far less distasteful when the four of them had simply discussed it amongst themselves. Sure Haar had gone out scouting the night before to see what exactly they would have to work with, but he had failed to address the finer points of the terrain. The Ribahn wasn't the dirtiest river Shinon had ever seen but it sure as hell wasn't the cleanest either. Having been carried across the river by a group of Hawk sub-humans at their first crossing, he hadn't gotten much more than a glimpse of the river. Perhaps things disgusted Shinon so because two-day old rotting corpses from the previous battle were still floating in the water, their blood mingling with the sediment at the bottom of the river. The air was acrid and smelled of death and to make matters worse, the blood-water mix had evaporated into the air and left a metallic taste in Shinon's mouth each time he took a breath.

Haar and Boyd landed off to his right and the latter motioned him and Gatrie over once he was sure that Ike had his back turned. They were far enough away that they wouldn't be overheard, but there was no harm in being cautious. The wyvern rider dismounted as the two approached. He was clad in his black armor of the Daein army, his face hidden behind a spiked helm.

"You want to go over the plan again, Haar?" Shinon complained. "I think we've been over it enough times."

"No, I don't," Haar replied. "I just wanted to make sure we're all clear on what we're supposed to do here."

"Fine. You know that we all are. Let's just have the Black Knight's head and be done with it."

"We have to be patient, Shinon," Gatrie reminded him. Shinon shot him a glare. He didn't need to be reminded. He was just tired of waiting around. Nothing was going to happen if they didn't do something.

"Right, Gatrie," Haar said, nodding. "Remember though. Your defenses have to hold long enough for Boyd and me to make our move. You can hold the Knight off for a minute or so, can't you?"

The knight nodded. "Got it, no sweat. My defenses are rock-solid! And Shinon'll act as my back-up, right?"

Haar nodded again. "Correct." He turned to Shinon. "Other than being Gatrie's support, you'll have the most crucial job of all, as you well know. You have to approach the Knight completely undetected to take the first shot or this entire mission is compromised. I trust that you can handle it, though. Be swift, Shinon. Be quick."

The sniper nodded wordlessly and Haar remounted his wyvern, taking flight without another word. Shinon and Gatrie watched him go until he was out of sight above the clouds. Shinon turned his gaze back to the river and what lay beyond. Gatrie move up next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. His voice was soft but determined.

"Come on, Shinon. Let's do this."

Shinon nodded. "Yes, let's."

-X-

The Black Knight stood motionless on the northern banks of the river, standing protectively in front of the Maiden of Dawn. He didn't know what to make of this situation. Such little time had passed since the battle's start, not even an hour, but already the Daein soldiers were crumpling under the force of the attack. The Black Knight had been correct in his assumptions of the Daein troops: they were nothing and their defenses shattered like glass against the onslaught of their enemies. The Black Knight desperately wanted to abandon his position and join them on the battlefield and show them and his foes true power.

But he wouldn't move. His orders had been clear: he was to protect the Maiden of Dawn. Only if something threatened her safety would he move from his spot. She was the most important thing to him right now and for the time being, he must not allow anything to harm her.

And still nothing approached him. Disappointment welled up from within. What of the impending attack he had sensed this morning? The rest of the enemy was still embroiled in combat with Daein's soldiers and were not focused on crossing the river or even trying to get to the Maiden of Dawn. He had figured that some fool would at least try to make a move against her and attempt to slip past his defenses. He longed for something to happen. Anything at all.

But still nothing came.

He had almost given up hope entirely when something furtive moved within the reeds to his right, a movement so quick and subtle that he almost missed it. It was there, watching him, sharp eyes fixed on his solitary form. There were others, of course. The blue armored knight several dozen yards away was watching him as well, feigning interest in the rest of the battle. But the Black Knight knew better. He was no fool. Not only was the knight waiting on him, but the Black Knight had seen the dark shape of a wyvern glide across the eastern sky four times in the past twenty minutes.

Their target wasn't Micaiah. Were they intending to go for her, they would have done so by now. He couldn't have held them all off at once and protected her at the same time. They meant no less than to attack him, the one who would give them the clearance to cross the river. Gawain's son wasn't among them, which left him disappointed. But perhaps these other mercenaries would prove themselves worthy of his attention.

This was what he had been waiting for since this morning. This is what he had sensed was coming for him; a chance to rend his foes. The Black Knight was sure of it. He felt a deep sense of satisfaction. This pathetic rabble of sellswords meant to bring him down.

The Black Knight smiled under his helm. It was a cruel, sardonic smile. Fools, one and all. He would let them come; let them think they had a chance at stopping him. They would soon learn that foolish pride and arrogance only got you killed in the end.

The Black Knight waited.

-X-

Shinon crept amongst the reeds, keeping himself well hidden from the other soldiers, both allies and enemies alike. It hadn't taken him long to reach this point and he had used the rest of the battle as a means to move stealthily across the river. As promised, Haar had successfully cleared the path in front of the sniper and retreated, pulling back well beyond the front lines where he would appear to be of little concern to the enemy. The other mercenaries were embroiled in combat with the remaining Daein curs behind him, allowing Shinon to focus solely on his goal. He disappeared within himself, becoming the sniper he had always been destined to be. Everything around him melted away and he was only aware of Gatrie, positioned behind him and to his right; and the Black Knight, no more than ten yards in front of him.

Shinon sunk even lower, wading silently through the water for several feet before reaching his post. He pressed his back against the dead, waterlogged tree and held the Silencer tightly against his chest. He peered cautiously over his shoulder, sharp eyes searching. The Black Knight appeared enormous even at this distance, his presence alone enough to fill the entire island on which he stood. The Knight stood protectively in front of the Maiden of Dawn, his armored frame rigid and unmoving, his sword gripped in his right hand and planted into the earth.

Admittedly, there was something…odd about his armor. It didn't radiate with power now like it did during the Mad King's War. Even Shinon could notice the difference. Ilyana had been right, it seemed. The Knight's armor wasn't blessed anymore. Taking confidence in that, Shinon spied out the weak point that Boyd had said would be there and looked away.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A plethora of emotions flooded through him, taking hold of his body: anxiety, arrogance, determination, hate. They filled him up and he turned them all against the Black Knight, the man who had stolen the closest thing Shinon ever had to a father. This was the moment he had secretly trained for over the past several months after learning that the Black Knight still lived. His one chance. And this time, Ike wasn't here to get in his way.

The sniper smiled arrogantly. Perhaps Boyd had been right all along. The Black Knight had no idea what was about to happen. If his shot went through, they would be across the river in minutes and the Black Knight's corpse would be floating down the river.

His eyes found Gatrie. The knight nodded and Shinon nodded back. Everything was in place.

He remembered Haar's words. _Be swift, Shinon. Be quick._

The time for doubt and skepticism was over. He needed to do this now. One clean motion, no hesitation. Just as he had told Rolf weeks ago in Crimea.

"All right, you bastard," Shinon muttered softly to himself, "let's see you worm your way out of this one!"

Clenching his teeth, he withdrew a single arrow and pulled back the bowstring, stepped out from behind the tree, and fired.


	3. Power, Pride and Arrogance

**Author's Note:** Whoo! Final chapter! Longest one I've ever written, too. I don't want to spoil anything, but like I mentioned in the description, things are about to get a bit heavy with the violence this chapter. Not _too _graphic, but enough to make me feel jittery about it, if you catch my drift. After a brief discussion with a few others on the review circle, I decided to keep the rating as T, but do _not_ hesitate to let me know if the rating should be changed to M. Much obliged.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Against the Dark Knight<strong>_

_**III**_

_**Power, Pride and Arrogance**_

Shinon had only been six years old the first time he had learned to shoot a bow and the exhilaration he experienced would stay with him for the rest of his life. He could still remember how much his tiny hands had trembled as he had drawn back the bowstring for the first time and let the arrow fly at the red and white target mounted against a tree only a few yards away. The shot had been absolutely perfect; the arrow tip had buried itself in the dead center of the target and left all who had been watching him stunned and speechless. At that moment, Shinon had known exactly what he wanted to do with his life. He had quickly made it a point to never to miss his intended mark, whether it was shooting practice targets or sniping down enemies on the battlefield. It didn't matter. Shooting a bow was what he had been born to do.

So now, almost twenty-five years later, amidst the chaos of the battlefield, things were no different. He had shot a bow thousands of times and feathered hundreds of enemies and not once had he ever missed. Why should this one shot be any different than the thousands before it?

Time appeared to slow as Shinon released the arrow with a sharp twang of his bowstring, his brow furrowed in iron determination. The instant that the arrow cleared his bow, Shinon knew that it was the most perfect shot he had ever made, despite the fact that his target area was no more than a few inches wide. The arrow whistled through the air and found its mark in a long crack that ran from the Black Knight's left shoulder blade down across his chest.

The arrow had no more than struck its target when the Black Knight screamed out in what Shinon guessed to be frustration and surprise, caught completely unawares by the sudden attack. He whirled in the direction that the attack had come from before spotting Shinon. Without even so much as a second thought, the Knight completely abandoned his position in front of the Maiden of Dawn and rushed to meet this new threat, black cape billowing behind him. He closed the distance between him and Shinon in seconds, sweeping down with his blade in a broad arc.

Shinon ducked as the attack whizzed over his head and struck the tree to his right, the dead wood cut clean through by the force of the Black Knight's attack. Shinon twisted around another strike that would have severed his left arm had he been any slower. How in the blazes could the Black Knight move so fast with all that armor?

_So quick!_

He backpedaled away hurriedly, drawing yet another arrow and letting it fly at the monster rushing towards him. "GATRIE!"

The knight shot past him, moving surprisingly fast for all of his bulk. Shinon smiled as Gatrie engaged the Knight, blocking off the Black Knight's path to Shinon. The two collided in a crash of limbs, armor and weapons, their armor indistinguishable from one another, two steel-clad behemoths locked in mortal combat. The Alondite struck time and again against Gatrie's azure shell, its swift and elegant cuts searching to find a weak point with practiced precision. But Gatrie held firm and withstood the assault behind the protectiveness of his shield, stabbing out with his lance when the opportunity arose, slowly driving the Knight away from the sniper. Shinon dropped back even further and his eyes turned toward the sky to find the dark shape of Haar's wyvern diving down from behind the Black Knight. Everything was going as planned.

Nimbly perching himself on the stump of the same tree he had used as his cover, Shinon began to fire volley after volley.

-X-

Boyd was shaking with anticipation. He sat directly behind Haar, who had steered his wyvern into a full nosedive, streaking through the air directly down at the Black Knight, who was embroiled in fierce combat with Gatrie at the edge of the river, with Shinon standing well back behind the knight and firing relentless barrages of arrows. Their plan was working perfectly so far and as long as Gatrie kept the Knight busy long enough for him and Haar to get close enough, the battle would be over in mere minutes. They were less than fifty feet away now and still the Black Knight showed no indication of knowing what was about to happen to him. The wind tore at Boyd's face and he brushed away the tears with the back of his hand.

_Come on_! Boyd thought elatedly. This had to work! _Closer!_ _Just a little closer…_

In front of him, Haar gripped the reins tighter and leaned forward, his lone eye fixed on the Black Knight's turned form. He raised the silver greatlance in his left hand.

"Get ready, Boyd!" he shouted over the wind.

Boyd carefully rose into a crouch behind Haar on the saddle and brandished the Hammer in his right hand, gripping the safety harness for support. He could feel the sweat running down the back of his neck. His heart raced and it felt like it was in his throat. Steeling himself against what was about to happen, he gritted his teeth and prepared to jump.

Then the impossible happened. The Black Knight parried another blow from Gatrie and punched the knight in the face with his left gauntlet. The knight's head snapped back violently and the Black Knight batted away Gatrie's shield with his sword arm. He slammed into Gatrie and the force threw the blue armored knight back into the river. The Black Knight whirled around and raised Alondite high above his head. Blue bolts of electricity streaked along the length of the blade and as the Knight brought the sword down across his body, a blue wave of energy shot directly at Haar and Boyd, who were no more than twenty feet away.

Boyd gasped in horror and realization and pit formed in his stomach. The Black Knight had known they were there all along!

"Blast!" Haar cried as he tried to pull out of the dive, yanking violently on the reins. His wyvern roared in response but they were already too low and the Black Knight's attack slammed into the soft belly of the wyvern. The force of the impact threw Boyd from the saddle and he hit the ground hard, tumbling head over heels and landing face down in the mud. He looked up to see the Black Knight sidestep to the right as Haar streaked past him and the Knight lashed out with his sword, carving a deep gash in the wyvern's left wing. The beast spun out of control and crashed into the river a dozen yards away with an enormous splash, throwing Haar into the Ribahn.

Boyd wanted to wait for Haar to emerge but already the Black Knight had turned his attention to his only remaining opponent. The warrior had barely jumped to his feet when the Black Knight's blade came down directly at his head. Bracing his legs, Boyd batted the blade away with the fat end of his weapon. He blocked the next attack with the shaft of the Hammer and the blow shook his entire body, but he still held firm. The Black Knight bore down on him relentlessly, forcing the warrior so low to the ground that he was almost on his knees.

But Boyd was every bit as strong as the Black Knight and wasn't going to be beaten so easily. It was moments like these he trained so heavily for. Slowly, he forced the Knight's blade back, gripping the handle of the Hammer tighter still. His enormous muscles bulged and flexed as he rose even higher and eventually he was at eye level with the Knight. With a final, desperate push, he let out an audible cry and thrust his body forward with all of his strength and threw the Black Knight backwards several feet. With not a moment to spare, Boyd rushed the Knight, holding the Hammer before him like a lance and barreled into his foe. The head of the Hammer struck the Black Knight's heavily armored waistline and the metal gave way against the attack and crumpled, fragments of pointed and crushed metal flying out in all directions. Boyd heard a sickening crunch inside the Knight's body and he pressed his attack even farther in. But the Black Knight swung his armored fist around and batted Boyd's weapon away. The warrior was barely able to retain his grip on the weapon as the Knight kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him staggering backwards. Boyd braced for another assault but before either he or the Black Knight could strike out again, a cry came out from behind the warrior.

"Boyd, out of the way! Behind me!"

Boyd rolled to his left as Alondite came his way once again and Gatrie charged in, fully recovered from the blow he had taken earlier, though blood oozed from the wound on his head. The broad sweep of Alondite crashed against the knight's shield and bounced off, leaving the Black Knight momentarily stunned. Gatrie thrust his lance forward and the silver tip speared the crushed section of armor on the Black Knight's abdomen, piercing through the armor and burying itself all the way to the top of the shaft. The Knight grunted and fell back even more than before. At the same time, two more arrows from Shinon found the weak point underneath the Black Knight's right arm. Gatrie wrenched his lance from the Knight's body and employed the same tactic the Black Knight used on him moments before, slamming head first into his opponent, using his shield as a battering ram. This time it was the Black Knight who was thrown backwards and the attack sent him reeling as he struggled to keep his footing.

Boyd shouted out victoriously. "Ha! Got you!"

Gatrie fell back as the warrior leapt into the air and brought the fat end of the Hammer crashing down on the Knight's left shoulder blade and the metal crumpled under its might. The Black Knight faltered again and dropped to one knee. Seizing his chance, Boyd flipped the axe around and stabbed down on the Knight's helm with the spiked end of the Hammer but the attack was deflected off a well-timed, if somewhat desperate, parry from Alondite. Unable to stop in mid-motion, the weapon glanced off the Knight's sword and struck the ground, sticking into a log that was buried deep in the earth. Before Boyd could yank the weapon free, the Black Knight's powerful leg swept out and took the warrior's legs out from underneath him. Boyd landed on his back and struck his head on rock. Lights danced before his eyes and his entire body went numb. He was only aware of the Black Knight looming over him menacingly, sword raised high. The next blow would be his last.

The Alondite arced down.

-X-

The Black Knight couldn't help but smile at the sight of the hapless warrior as he fell to the earth, his weapon gone from his hand. Such a fool. He had sacrificed his footing for a killing stroke and now he was finished. The Black Knight could at least commend the warrior's spirit and audacity and for landing a near-crippling blow, but for all of his power, he lacked discipline. Seeking to end the brute's worthless life once and for all, the Black Knight brandished Alondite in both hands and made an executioner's swing at the man's neck.

There was a flash of silver and orange and to the Black Knight's surprise, his blade glanced off another sword that passed between him and his prey and Alondite struck the ground only inches away from the warrior's head. Taking advantage of the obvious miracle, the warrior rolled to his feet and jumped away, pulling forth his spare axe. Furious, the Black Knight whirled around to face his new attacker and their blades collided instantly. Where he expected to find Gawain's son, he was surprised to find that his opponent nothing more than a girl with dark purple hair wearing an orange tunic. She was wielding a blade of a strange design, one that was thin and curved at one end with a loose-fitting handle. The girl broke the clash with him and made a cut at his chest, only to have the blade strike harmlessly against the Knight's breast plate and bounce aside, barely scratching the tough metal.

The Black Knight heard the warrior call out to the girl. "Mia! What are you doing here?"

"Saving your life, that's what!" Mia yelled back. "I told you that if you needed any help, I would come, Boyd!" The Black Knight attacked again, bringing his blade down at Mia's face, and the girl was forced to block the attack with both hands, holding the sword blade only inches away from her face.

"Imprudent little girl," the Black Knight jeered as he forced the clash down on Mia and circled around, placing the girl between him and the others, who had now completely ceased their attack altogether. He bore down on her relentlessly, using only one arm to hold her back. "You would do well to vanish. This fight is well beyond you. By choosing to engage me, you have just signed your death warrant. You are not the foe I seek. Leave now and I shall spare your life."

The girl struggled against his strength, but still she did not back down. "I…don't think so!" Her eyes were full of excitement and determination. It appeared that she was enjoying this as much as he was. "You…might be surprised! Commander Ike's been training me, so don't expect an easy victory!"

The Black Knight chuckled softly to himself. "Gawain's son, eh? Ha! Very well then. These other fools can wait. If Ike has been teaching you, you will last a minute if you are lucky. Come at me then, girl, and learn your folly! You'll get no mercy from me!" He broke the clash and twisted away from her, blindly swinging his blade in a horizontal slash at her stomach. As he had expected, Mia jumped back and parried the blow with both hands. She rushed at him then, keeping her lean body close to ground in a protective crouch. She came at him from the right first, blade moving so fast that each stroke was nothing more than a blur. But the Black Knight parried each blow almost effortlessly as the two began to circle each other, their blades dancing wildly in the clash of steel and iron. The Black Knight couldn't help but notice that all of the activity around him had ceased entirely, enemies and allies alike perplexed by the sword battle taking place.

The Black Knight opted to go on the defensive first, twisting around the well-aimed strikes from his opponent and swinging his sword out to his sides in wide flourishes to cover his flanks. The girl cut time and again and if her strikes managed to slip past his blade, they bounced harmlessly off his armor. Mia's swordplay was impeccable to say the least and each time she parried another blow, she fluidly transitioned into a counterattack without even the slightest pause in between. It was a tactic that the Knight had seen before, an age-old maneuver known to some as "graceful riposte". The Black Knight turned the move against her and used the technique himself, but each time Mia parried and darted away before employing the tactic once again. They were locked in a never-ending dance, neither one of them able to exploit a weak point. The girl had practiced the technique well, but it wasn't a fighting style that couldn't be broken with the right amount of creativity and patience. Mia didn't appear to have any other method of attack and kept to the same routine: attack, parry, counterattack. Whatever skills Gawain's son had instilled in her, she wasn't using all of them. She was holding something back. She was likely unsure that if she tried something new, it would backfire. If this was all the girl could offer, then she was no longer worthy of the Black Knight's attention. He was done playing with someone who couldn't even get close to breaking through his defenses.

As Mia rolled to the left and came to her feet behind him, the Black Knight gripped his cape in his left hand and brought it across the girl's face and the velvet cloth wrapped tightly around her head. By the time she managed to free herself, the Black Knight was upon her. Releasing his hold on the cape, he struck her hard across the right temple with his gauntlet and the force of the blow spun Mia around in a circle. The Black Knight lashed out with his sword and the blade cut across Mia's back, ripping through the skin and muscle just below her shoulder blades. She screamed in agony as she was thrown to the ground, her blade slipping from her fingers. But as the Black Knight rushed to close the distance and finish her off, Gatrie blocked his path and took the strike on his left arm.

"Mia, get out of here!" he shouted, ignoring the bleeding gash on his arm as he blocked the Knight's next strike. "You've done enough! We can take things from here!" The girl staggered to her feet and disappeared into the reeds, not even bothering to turn back for her blade.

The Black Knight realized two things then. One, his opponents were tiring, and tiring quickly. With the absence of the wyvern rider, they had done well to adapt to the situation and improvise, letting their instincts do the work, striking out whenever the opportunity presented itself. But now that strategy was turning against them. They clearly hadn't expected the battle to drag out for this long and on that account they hadn't adjusted their plans accordingly. Their attacks were becoming sloppy and desperate. The sniper's arrows were no longer finding the precious few soft spots in the Black Knight's armor, instead bouncing harmlessly off the black metal. They were running out of options, as well as time.

Secondly, they were getting far too reckless. They charged in without a care for their own lives, only seeking to get close enough and hope that they were lucky enough to land a blow or two or to protect one of their fallen comrades. The Black Knight had let it pass before, since small gashes and flesh wounds would heal over time. Any damage done to his armor could be repaired as well. But the time for games was over. His opponents had let the battle drag out for too long and the Black Knight had now successfully gauged their strengths and fighting styles. Now he had only to eliminate them at a time and method of his choosing.

Power surged up from within his core, coursing through his blood and seizing hold of his muscles. The feeling was exhilarating. It had been so long since he had unleashed his ultimate power upon a skilled opponent. Just a few more moments and he would show his foes true power. His secret technique would ultimately crush any feeble resistance this worthless band of fools would muster up.

_Time to end this._

-X-

With Mia gone, the Black Knight now turned his attention fully on Gatrie. Boyd could tell that the Knight was furious and with each strike he made, there was power and strength that surpassed any that they possessed. Boyd had never seen one man fight so well against a group of skilled opponents who matched him blow for blow. The Knight hammered down ferociously on Gatrie, his strikes less elegant and sure, simply seeking to push Gatrie to point of desperation where he would undoubtedly do something foolish. Gatrie struggled to keep his unprotected head well-guarded but each time he raised his lance or shield to block a strike, he left the middle of his body exposed. The blue-armored knight seemed to realize something more of what was happening because instead of holding his ground as he had earlier, he was deliberately backing away toward Boyd and Shinon. His defenses were crumbling and he had clearly underestimated just how difficult it would be to keep the Black Knight at bay much longer. Haar was still nowhere in sight and without the powerful wyvern rider to aid them, none of them were going to get out of here alive. They could turn and run, hoping that the Black Knight wouldn't pursue them back across the river, but they had come this far and they wouldn't quit now.

Boyd lifted his axe and prepared to charge to Gatrie's aid, but he hesitated too long. The Black Knight's blade slipped past Gatrie's shield and pierced the knight's right side. Another attack cut Gatrie's leg and the knight screamed in agony and stumbled back, his defenses crumbling. The Black Knight's sword lifted.

"NO!" Boyd shouted and he leapt at the Black Knight and before the Knight's blade reached Gatrie's exposed head, it collided with Boyd's axe as the warrior leapt between them, stopping the attack cold only inches away from Gatrie's neck.

"Brave of you, boy," the Black Knight's distorted voice cackled from within his helmet, "but I didn't realize suicide was in the nature of Ike's mercenaries. I thought that you would have learned your lesson. Those too weak to protect themselves have no right to be saved by others."

"Cruel blackheart!" Boyd countered before breaking the clash and stepping between Gatrie and the Knight. The very thought at leaving Gatrie to his death pissed him off. "You'll not touch my friends again!" With a fury not to be denied, he hacked viciously at the Black Knight, driving him back away from Gatrie and across the island. He became lost in his anger and he let it fill him up, strengthening his resolve. It fueled him, driving him into a berserker's rage for the sake of protecting his friends. He blocked every counterattack that came his way, twisting and spinning as he drove the Black Knight back even farther toward the river's edge. Boyd no longer cared that he wouldn't be able to last long in single combat with his adversary. The thought of death never even entered his mind. The Black Knight was simply an enemy that had nearly killed two of his friends and the headstrong brawler wasn't going to let that happen again. More arrows from Shinon rained down on the Black Knight from behind him, some finding their mark, some of them not. Either way, they kept the Black Knight from skewering Boyd where he stood.

He blocked another blow with the blade of his axe, letting the attack glance off to the right. Boyd used his momentum to step behind the Black Knight as yet another arrow from Shinon struck the Knight in the left leg. Gripping the axe tightly in both hands, Boyd swung his axe in a circle above his head, shouting wildly. Pivoting on his right foot, he swung the axe out heavily in a wide sweep that brought his body around in a full circle. The enormous blade found its mark, streaking across the Knight's back, slicing clean through the red and black cape. Boyd cried out in triumph as the blade tore through the Knight's armor as well. Elation surged through him. He had been right all along: his weapon _was _strong enough to cut through the Knight's armor!

The Black Knight screamed again, this time not in anger or frustration, but in terrible pain. The terrible sound rent the air and the Knight whirled around to strike Boyd across the chest, but having been weakened by three strikes from Boyd, he was a shade slower than normal. The warrior was already moving. As the Knight's arm came around, Boyd ducked and did a forward somersault, coming out of the roll behind the Knight once again. Boyd waited for the Knight's body to come back around before striking out once more. Holding the axe across his body with the blade pointed down to his left, the warrior brought the weapon up and the axe head ripped across the Black Knight's breast plate perpendicular to the crack Shinon had pierced earlier, slicing clean through the black metal. Boyd felt the attack slash through the Knight's chest underneath, ripping through skin, muscle and finally bone. The Black Knight slumped forward and stumbled, and Boyd heard him gasp in disbelief. He grasped his sword in both hands and placed the blade down into the earth, leaning on it heavily.

His opponent no doubt finished and his face beaming with pride, Boyd stepped back to admire his handiwork, allowing himself to bask in the glory of the Black Knight's defeat. Shinon had stopped firing, no doubt coming to the same conclusion Boyd had: their enemy was finished. Boyd's eyes were fixed on his broken rival, the Black Knight's armor crushed and cracked in a dozen more places than before. He had never felt more proud in his entire life. He had defeated the Black Knight, the greatest swordsman in all of Tellius! _Him!_ The Black Knight's breathing was shallow and erratic, too weak to move but refusing to back down.

"Well done, young warrior," the Black Knight rasped suddenly, his voice rattling with each breath he took. "You…have beaten me. Only the greatest of all warriors could accomplish such a feat." He gave Boyd a perfunctory nod. "I am weak, defenseless. You have your axe. You may finish me as befits a warrior of your caliber."

Boyd nodded wordlessly and backed away slowly, raising his axe in his hands for the final time. His eyes were fixated on the Knight's cracked helm. What he failed to notice, however, was the faint blue light pulsing inside the very wound he had inflicted.

Gatrie must have noticed it because as the Black Knight deliberately sank to his knees for the second time, conceding victory to Boyd, leaning heavily on his sword for support and clutching the wound on his chest, the knight called out desperately to Boyd.

"Boyd, wait! Pull back, now!"

His cry fell on deaf ears. Boyd didn't even hear him and failed to realize the gravity of his situation. He didn't care. This was his chance, his one opening. The Black Knight was vulnerable. The Knight had admitted defeat and his cracked helm was completely at the mercy of his axe. He charged at the Knight, screaming like a madman and brandishing his axe in both hands.

A brilliant flash of blue light exploded out from the center of the Knight's armor, blinding Boyd and the warrior skidded to a stop. He lifted his axe in front of his eyes and gasped. The blue light engulfed them both and suddenly Boyd couldn't move. The aura of light settled over his body like a blanket, surrounding him and paralyzing his muscles. The light must have had the opposite affect for his opponent, because the Black Knight rose quickly to his feet and towered over him, his strength suddenly returned.

Fear gripped the warrior's body and suddenly he recalled something, something he had failed to remember once this plan had entered his mind. He should have remembered it; it was so important! The Black Knight's hidden power…the one he had seen during the war, the one for which there was no defense!

Its name, he recalled, was Eclipse.

How could he have been so stupid?

Gatrie was screaming and tried to rush to Boyd's aid, but the blue light kept him back. "Boyd, no!" the knight cried in despair. "Blast it, Shinon! Shoot him!" Boyd heard the whistle of arrows screaming from behind him, but the missiles burst into flames the second they touched the blue aura surrounding Boyd and the Black Knight. There was nothing they could do to help the warrior.

His brother's words came back to him. _Promise me, Boyd. If find yourself in a situation that threatens your life, you must flee!_

But it was no use. He couldn't move.

_Wait, no! _He screamed inwardly. He couldn't die like this!_ Move, Boyd! MOVE!_

Too late. The Black Knight swung Alondite over his head and behind his back before pointing the blade directly at Boyd's face. Boyd never had time to blink in disbelief before the Black Knight lunged at him. He swept Alondite up in an arc that cut clean through Boyd's left side. The warrior felt the skin and muscle rip open and his rib cage shattered inside his body. The pain was excruciating and the force of the blow threw him backwards but somehow he managed to stay on his feet.

Still barely conscious, Boyd closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Oscar…"

The next flurry of strikes came so quickly that Boyd couldn't follow them all. In fact, he never even lived past the third attack. Alondite cut across Boyd's chest twice in rapid succession, slicing clean through his heart and lungs, killing him instantly. The blood went everywhere, splattering against the Black Knight's ebony armor and helm. Boyd's arms went limp, the massive battle axe slipping from his fingers and dropping uselessly to the earth.

The Black Knight knew that his opponent was finished but he was already halfway through his signature move and wasn't going stop there. The fourth slash ripped the dead warrior's left arm from its socket and the limb splashed into the Ribahn. The blood spilled out like a waterfall and sprayed in every direction, soaking the already moist ground in the sticky red liquid. The gruesome sight stopped both enemies and allies alike stone cold as they watched the Black Knight execute his master stroke.

The next blow severed Boyd's head from his neck.

-X-

Gatrie's face was aghast with horror and disgust as blood sprayed out from the spot where Boyd's head used to be, raining down and speckling everything within a two foot radius in tiny red droplets, including Gatrie and the Black Knight. Boyd's headless body had no more than crumpled to the ground when the Black Knight turned his attention to Gatrie. The strange blue light faded away and withdrew back into the Knight's chest.

Gatrie couldn't believe his eyes. Boyd was dead, cut down at the result of his own pride and recklessness. The Black Knight had deceived them all, pretending to admit defeat when he was actually gathering his power for one last desperate strike. Gatrie had realized the farce too late and Boyd had failed to notice it at all, a mistake that cost him his life.

Now Haar and Boyd were both gone, the latter of the two dead and the former likely dead as well. Their plan they had worked on so hard had failed miserably. The three of them had managed to hold their own in Haar's absence, but it was no use now. It was just him and Shinon. But he was exhausted and Shinon was running out of arrows. The Black Knight, however, was strangely invigorated by the result of unleashing Eclipse and immediately charged at him.

Gatrie raised his lance and shield in defense, but try as he might, he couldn't even manage to block a single attack. His arms were exhausted from the agonizing length of the battle and felt as heavy as lead. He managed to thrust his lance forward as the Black Knight drew near him, but the Knight easily sidestepped the attack. In a surprising move, the Black Knight seized the wrist that held the knight's shield, fastening tightly around the unprotected flesh on the underside of the wrist guard. He twisted violently and Gatrie felt the bones snap in two. The knight screamed and the shield tumbled from his grasp.

Less than a second later, he felt the cold steel of Alondite slide up through his stomach and pierce his heart. Gatrie's body went rigid. The fiery determination in his eyes faded away as he stared into the T-slit visor of the Black Knight's helm. He gasped in horrific realization at what he saw there and the secret he discovered would die with him, it seemed.

The Black Knight slowly withdrew the blade from his stomach.

Gatrie was dead before he hit the ground.

-X-

For the first time in his life, Shinon panicked.

He backed slowly away from the Black Knight as the towering monster turned to face his final obstacle after disposing of Gatrie. Shinon's resolve and determination to win the fight instantly crumbled away into nothingness, fleeing his terrified mind at the sight of Boyd's hewed and headless corpse and Gatrie's unmoving body half-submerged in the river. How in the _hell _had things gotten so bad this quickly? The sniper now stood alone against the Black Knight, with his bow as his only means of protection.

And where the fuck was Haar?

_Damn it, damn it, damn it!_

His fingers went numb with fear and his eyes searched around frantically for an escape. There was none. There wasn't any way he could escape quickly enough without the Black Knight striking him from behind. He vaguely became aware that some of the other mercenaries and soldiers had taken notice of what had been happening on the island and several of them were trying to break through to get to him. Shinon had half a mind to give into his foolish impulses and run anyways, seeking safety behind the others and sprinting for the hills, never to turn back.

Then his common sense took over. What in the Goddess's name was he thinking? He wasn't just going to give up his life like this! And he most certainly wasn't going to turn tail and run either. He wasn't the one to just lie down and die and await his judgment. Shinon was no coward. He had been a fighter his entire life; staying alive was his specialty.

No, he had to finish the job. Not for Boyd or Haar or even Gatrie, but for himself. He had to salvage whatever honor he still had left. If this was going to be his end, he was going to make it such an end as to be worthy of remembrance.

And he was going to drag the Black Knight down with him.

Shinon barely had any time to react as Black Knight ran towards him. Alondite sliced down and made a slash at his face. The blade grazed his left cheek as Shinon leapt back to avoid the strike. But as he did, he tripped over a rock and fell to the ground, the Silencer slipping from his fingers. He rolled away and his eyes found Mia's forgotten sword at the edge of the river. He snatched it up and sprang to his feet once more. The texture of the weapon was foreign and rough compared to the smooth grip of a bow that he was used to, but it wasn't like he hadn't used a sword before. Far back before Greil had even formed his mercenary company and when Ike had still been young, Shinon had been forced to spar with the boy on several occasions while Greil had been out. He'd managed to get the rough basics of swordplay down in those few instances; at least enough to hold his own in a battle for a few moments. At the time, he had cursed those moments in which he had been forced to spar with Ike, but now it seemed that Greil's insistences may very well save his life.

Holding the blade before him in both hands, he managed to deflect the Knight's next attack, angling the blade downward to keep it away from his heart. The Black Knight clearly hadn't expected his attack to be blocked and Shinon used that brief moment of hesitation to begin circling the Knight and parry the next attack. Somehow managing to continue blocking the attacks, the sniper continued circling the Knight in a counter-clockwise fashion and if he had counted the number of steps correctly, he would regain his advantage over the Knight.

Luck was on his side. As Shinon took his sixth step, his left foot brushed up against his fallen bow. The moment he had done so, he delivered a heavy two-handed stroke at the Black Knight's leg and the Knight had to bring Alondite down to block the attack. Using all of his strength to hold the blade there, he slid his foot under his bow and kicked it into the air. The weapon sailed forward and over the Black Knight's head and Shinon released his grip on the sword. He deftly rolled under the Knight's spread legs and before his opponent realized what was happening, the sniper caught the Silencer just before it hit the ground.

With his main weapon now in his possession once more, Shinon sprang to his feet and darted away. The Black Knight swung around and Shinon ducked to avoid meeting Boyd's fate, rolling to the left as the Knight's sword passed over his head. He was a bit too slow and as the blade whipped over his head, it sliced the ponytailed portion of his hair clean off. Ignoring it for now, Shinon quickly came back to his feet, jumping nimbly to the left to avoid another slash and simultaneously firing yet another arrow. The arrow found its mark, the silver tip burying itself in the unprotected flesh just under the Knight's left arm.

_Stupid_, Shinon thought. The shot had gone far wider than where he had been aiming. He had been shooting for the Knight's sword arm, hoping to disarm him for a few seconds at the most. Even with all of his injuries, the Black Knight was quick. That or Shinon was getting sloppy.

The Black Knight did not falter and charged at Shinon again, sword glinting in the sunlight. Two attacks came his way, a diagonal upward slash followed by a heavy two-handed stroke designed to sever his head from his body. Shinon leapt over the first and back flipped away from the second onto the stump of a dead tree. He drew two of the remaining three arrows left in his quiver and prepared to fire.

But the Black Knight wasn't there.

An eerie silence followed and with his sight still focused on the spot where the Black Knight should have been, Shinon hesitated for the briefest of moments. Impossible. The Knight couldn't have simply disappeared, unless he had concealed himself in the reeds and moved…

_Right behind him!_

Too late Shinon realized this. Something enormous slammed into him as he whirled around, throwing him from the stump and into the murky waters of the Ribahn. Both of the arrows still in his bowstring went wild and struck the ground harmlessly. The Black Knight was on top of him instantly, the silver blade of Alondite sweeping down in a flurry of strikes meant to skewer Shinon where he lay. Amazingly, the sniper was able to roll to the side and come to his feet once again, but not before suffering two more cuts: one to his left leg and the other across his left shoulder.

Shinon tried to ignore the wounds, but the pain was too unbearable. He thought about reaching for his last arrow or even trying to run, but it would do him no good. The Black Knight was directly in front of him and he was as good as dead. Only now, at the end, did he finally understand. The Black Knight had simply been toying with him earlier, drawing the battle out in attempt to gauge the strength of his enemy, just as he had done with Boyd and Gatrie. The Black Knight had known from the very beginning how the end would play out and simply used them all for his own gratification. Their entire downfall, from the time Boyd had so recklessly charged at the seemingly-beaten Black Knight up to now, had taken less than a minute.

The Black Knight had played them all for fools. None of them had even stood a chance.

_Mark my words Shinon. One of these days your greed and arrogance are going to turn on you. You won't like what you find when that happens._

Shinon cursed himself again. Why was it that his last thoughts were of that infuriating woman and her sad desire to get him to "shape up"? Shinon hated to admit that Titania had been right all along. He had taken one step too many in the wrong direction. Wouldn't she by pleased to hear that he was dead at the hands of his own conceit?

One blow was all it took. Alondite swept up for the final time and streaked across Shinon's right hip, carving a gash across his right side and chest so deep and enormous that even Gatrie's armor would have failed to stop such a strike. The blade barely missed his neck as it cut across his left shoulder. Shinon felt the breath leave his body as he was thrown into the air. The Silencer fell from his fingers. He struck the ground moments later, landing on his back. The blood from his wound showered his entire body, splashing onto his face and soaking his disheveled hair. His rib cage rattled with each subsequent breath he took. The pain was agonizing, but it at the very least told him that he was still alive.

The blow should have killed him instantly. How _was _he still alive?

The Black Knight loomed over him, his sword wet and dripping with blood. _His _blood. Shinon almost thought he heard the Knight sigh, but whether it was in relief or a deep sense of satisfaction Shinon couldn't tell. No, it had to be relief. The Knight's body was riddled with his arrows and was likely glad that the battle was finally over. The sniper managed to roll over onto his side and rise to his knees. His eyes, filled with hate and loathing, never left the Knight.

"W-what are you waiting for, blackheart?" Shinon managed to gasp, coughing up blood. "D-do it. F-finish me."

The Black Knight tilted his head and spoke. "Do you truly wish for more pain?" he asked, lowering his sword. "You are beaten. My sword is not made for killing those who do not raise their weapons."

At least that explained why the Knight's attack had missed his heart, Shinon thought. He hadn't even lifted his bow in defense and so the Knight's misguided sense of self-righteousness had spared him his life.

But even still, he was furious. He wasn't going to accept mercy from this monster! "You've got to be kidding me!" His eyes flashed with rage. "I deserve a better death than this! DO IT! FINISH ME!"

"Here you are, fool, begging for death, not realizing that the very principle that guides my sword arm has spared you your life," the Black Knight answered coldly. "You live now only because I wish it."

"I understand far more than you think, blackheart," Shinon spat.

"You are a fool. But if you must, go now and die in whatever way seems best to you. It does not matter to me." The Black Knight turned his back on Shinon and began to walk away, but he stopped a few yards away when Shinon spoke again.

"So you're really the cur that murdered Commander Greil?" Shinon laughed. "Why, you're nothing but a coward!"

In one fluid motion he snatched up the Silencer from the ground beside him and let fly his last arrow.

-X-

The Black Knight sensed the attack coming and before the arrow could strike him in the back, he whirled around and cut the arrow out of the air with one swift, stroke. The sniper's stubbornness and refusal to back down infuriated him. Hadn't he learned anything from watching the deaths of his companions? The Black Knight had had enough of this. If his enemy still refused to back down and accept his judgment, then the Black Knight would have no qualms about finishing him off. Time to finish things once and for all, he decided. The sniper deserved the most painful death possible. Summoning his inner power for one last time, the Black Knight gripped Alondite in both hands, the glowing blue blade poised for one final strike.

Then something black and enormous struck him from the right and the force of the blow sent him reeling, knocking him completely off his feet. Alondite flew from his grasp and landed blade first in the earth a few feet away and the Black Knight reached out with his left arm to break his fall. He landed on all fours and before he could get to his feet, sharp talons raked across his back and tore through the wound that Boyd had inflicted earlier, shredding his cape as well. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a black wyvern soar past him and its rider launched himself from the saddle and landed between the Black Knight and his sword.

The Black Knight was on his feet instantly and rushed at the wyvern rider, despite the fact that he had no weapon. His enemy was fully clad in black armor and his face was hidden behind a spiked helm. He looked strangely familiar and brandished an enormous lance in both hands. He braced against the Black Knight's assault as the Knight struck at him with his right fist. The wyvern rider blocked the attack with the shaft of his weapon and twisted the lance downward, forcing the Knight's arm back against his body. Before the wyvern rider could strike back, the Black Knight seized the shaft of the lance with his left hand and forced it back against his enemy's chest. His right arm now free, he gripped the lance with his right hand as well. The two of them grappled for control over the weapon, neither one of them strong enough to take control. The wyvern rider did manage to circle around and keep the Black Knight's back to Alondite.

But in a move that caught even the Black Knight off guard, the wyvern rider was suddenly able to force the spearpoint of the weapon into the earth. He loosened his grip on the lance slightly and with surprising agility, used the weapon to vault over the Black Knight, landing on his feet behind him. The weapon now fully in his possession, the Knight whirled around and thrust the lance forward to finish his enemy.

His attack missed entirely and instead of finding the wyvern rider in front of him, he came face-to-face with the sniper, who had somehow gotten to his feet during the Black Knight's battle with the wyvern rider. The Black Knight froze as his eyes found the sniper's face, which was alight with glee and satisfaction. The Alondite was in his hands and the Black Knight gasped in horror at the sight. The sniper's body was fully pressed against his own and Alondite had pierced the gaping hole in his breast plate and was buried into his chest all the way up to the hilt, with the point protruding from his back.

_No! _The Black Knight thought in disbelief. _How had the sniper gotten his hands on the sword? He was weak, broken and defenseless! He couldn't have even moved…_

"Impossible…" the Black Knight said aloud, slumping forward, his strength gone. "I've…been defeated? By a worthless rabble such as this?"

"I told you that you should have finished me off when you had the chance," the sniper said softly, his hard eyes focused on the Knight's helm. "Your first mistake was allowing me to live. Believing I was as good as dead was your second. Just as you deceived the rest of us earlier into thinking that you were helpless, I tricked you into thinking that I could no longer fight. What better way to finish you than to use your own cruelty against you?"

"You are...very clever," the Knight said. His eyes found the wyvern rider as the sniper withdrew Alondite from his chest and stepped way. "You…your style of fighting is familiar…who are you, so skilled a fighter that you can outwit me in battle?"

The wyvern rider removed his helm and revealed himself as a one-eyed man. "My name is Haar," he said. "Perhaps you remember me, Black Knight."

The Black Knight did. "Ah, yes. Shiharam's lazy yet exceptional protégé from three years ago. You were part of the group of wyvern riders who defected from Begnion over twenty years before. Even still, you were never anything but loyal. I shall not ask why you have betrayed the nation you claim to serve once again."

"My reasons are my own, Black Knight," Haar replied calmly. "But those reasons have nothing to do with my decision to fight against you today. Do know that I hold you and King Ashnard accountable for Commander Shiharam's death during the war. You and your king destroyed everything that Commander Shiharam worked so hard for and to me that is unforgivable. I never got my chance at killing Ashnard, so I sought you out instead."

The Black Knight stared at him wordlessly. "Indeed," he said finally. "You have grown strong and are a worthy opponent indeed if you can defeat me."

He turned back to Shinon. "I commend you as well," he said with a nod. The Black Knight sank to his knees for the final time. "Your name was Shinon? You and Haar have done well to vanquish me. Now, take my blade and strike me down. I deserve it. I have slaughtered your friends and am willing to accept the consequences of my actions. Do it, Shinon. Finish me. You have earned the right to do so."

"You're bluffing," Shinon spat. "I saw what you did to Boyd the last time you lowered your guard."

"He's not bluffing, Shinon," Haar said, stepping up next to him. "He's too weak. Look at him. He can't even lift his arms. But are you really going to strike him down in cold blood, Shinon?"

"I…" Shinon hesitated. He clearly didn't know whether or not he wanted to do it or not. Deep down, he knew that he wanted to, to avenge Commander Greil and Gatrie, the two people the sniper had ever truly cared about.

"Go on, Shinon," the Black Knight urged him, lowering his head. "Do it. This is your once chance for revenge. Surely you're not going to squander it."

Shinon raised the blade high over his head but before he could bring it down in a two-handed swing, he stopped and lowered his arms.

"No," he said, letting out a heavy sigh. "I won't do it. Not like this anyways."

"What do you mean?" the Black Knight inquired.

"If only I could cause you the pain that you've caused me, Black Knight," Shinon said coldly. "You've stolen the closest thing I ever had to a father and killed the one person I had ever called a friend. The only way you'll ever truly understand that is if you look into my eyes before you get to die."

The Black Knight's heart skipped a beat. "Very well then. Do what you must."

Dropping Alondite to the ground, Shinon reached forward and with both hands, he pulled the Black Knight's helm from his head.

* * *

><p><strong>Ending Note: <strong>Yes, I DID just end the story like that. I grappled with about six different endings and after writing them all, I still couldn't decide which one to use. In the end, I decided on this one. If you've played Radiant Dawn, you know what Shinon will find (I didn't want to spoil anything for those of you who haven't and if the Black Knight's idenity really was revealed there, it wouldn't be keeping with game canon and things would have gotten REALLY messy), but as to what happens next I leave completely up to your imagination. Anyways, now you know why I was a bit unsure about the rating. Again, if I should change it, let me know. The Black Knight wasn't going to go easy on anyone who came to attack him. I don't think it was too sadistic, though. Let me know what you thought. I decided to make this more realistic in the sense that eventually the Black Knight would catch on to the fact that the battle at the river was just a diversion and inform Micaiah. He's too smart not to notice something like that. So, a diversion was needed to keep his eyes and mind away from the diversion. There you go. And noting Eclipse, I tried to make that a _bit_ more realistic as well. I studied the mechanics of it (right down to where his strikes hit his opponent's body) and realized that such an attack wouldn't leave the Black Knight's opponent in one piece. And personally, if the Black Knight was going to do that to me, I wouldn't just stand there and watch it happen. I would run like hell. There needed to be a reason that Boyd couldn't escape. And I really think this is one of the best things I've ever written, particularly the last chapter, if I may be so bold. But who am I to pass judgment? It's really your opinion that matters. Thanks for reading!


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